Former Nfl Lineman Antone Davis Of Clermont Embarks On A New Career As An Agent, Helping Players Tackle The Pro Game

Davis understands what it's like to line up across from an All-Pro player during Monday Night Football. He empathizes with rookies as they toil through their first training camps. He's felt the pressure of battling for a roster spot.

And that's why Davis, a Clermont resident who spent seven seasons as a player in the National Football League, believes he has something to offer in his new career as an agent.

"It's kind of a natural turn for me, because I like working with people," Davis said. "I think we need some good people in the business, and I'm hoping that my existence is going to make a big difference."

But make no mistake, it's a tough business, just as in the movie Jerry Maguire. Agents compete ferociously against each other in order to sign top athletes, but Davis pledges to do everything "by the book" and take his clients' best interests to heart.

Not so long ago, the Georgia native had agents fawning over him.

He enjoyed a stellar career as an offensive tackle at the University of Tennessee, earning consensus All-American honors in 1990.

The following spring, Philadelphia Eagles selected the 6-foot-4, 327-pound Davis with the eighth overall pick in the 1991 NFL draft.

Davis stepped into the Eagles' starting lineup immediately, starting 15 games during his rookie season.

In all, he started 73 games in his five seasons with the Eagles, who made the playoffs twice in that span under coaches Rich Kotite and Ray Rhodes. The playoff runs ended with losses to the Dallas Cowboys, who won the Super Bowl on both occasions.

Davis went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons in 1996 and '97. After sitting out the '98 season, Davis tried to hook on with the Green Bay Packers but was cut in a salary-cap move.

"I tell people all the time it's hard for me to look in the mirror and complain about anything," Davis said of his NFL career. "I never got hurt, had a great time and met a lot of people and did a lot of things that otherwise I never would have had an opportunity to do."

His NFL career brought him into contact with future Hall of Famers such as Howie Long and Lawrence Taylor.

Though he faced Long just once -- a 31-10 Eagles victory over the Los Angeles Raiders in 1992 -- Davis considers Long the best pass rusher he ever went up against.

"He kept me off-balance the whole day," Davis remembered. "It wasn't funny at the time, but when I look back on it, that's what you call `getting taken to school.' "

Taylor, on the other hand, proved easier to block.

"L.T. was a speed rusher and you knew what he was going to do," Davis said. "He wasn't very heavy. It was the kind of thing that once you get your hands on him he can't do a whole lot."

After the Eagles' playoff loss to Dallas in early 1996, Davis and his wife, Carrie, decided to buy a home in south Lake. Carrie was born in Leesburg and lived in Groveland and Mascotte until she moved to Tennessee at the age of 9.

Together, the college sweethearts have two children: a 4-year-old daughter, Cailyn, and a son, Dakota, who is 2 1/2.

Antone Davis got his agent's certification early last year, and he acknowledges that it will take time to build a clientele.

So far, he has four clients, including offensive linemen Justin Amman and Freddie Moore, who are fighting for NFL roster spots.

Amman, a Eustis High and Florida State graduate, signed a free-agent contract with the San Diego Chargers after this year's draft.

"He's got to understand that the speed of the game is going to increase so much it's going to blow him away," Davis said. "He's played at Florida State, but the speed of the [NFL] game in practice is faster than anything he's done at Florida State."

Moore, who attended Florida A&M University, signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Davis' other clients are Marshall University linebacker George Miller, who hopes to play in the Arena Football League, and baseball player John Koronka.

Koronka, a 1998 South Lake High graduate, is a left-handed pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds' farm system. He was recently promoted to the Reds' Double-A team in Chattanooga, Tenn.

"What I hope to do is to recruit character," Davis said, "and Koronka's a good example of a guy who's got his head on straight."

Davis limits his recruiting efforts to athletes from the Southeast.

Ultimately, Davis' dream is to represent offensive linemen exclusively. After all, line play is what he knows best.